PAS grassroots appear to have embraced the Umno-PAS alliance, with hundreds of them turning up to support acting Umno president Mohamad Hasan’s nomination in the Rantau by-election yesterday. 

This is the fifth by-election since the May 9 polls where both parties have supported each other by not contesting against each other. 

The alliance between the two parties, which was announced earlier this month, had appeared to create some level of discomfort among PAS grassroots leaders used to viewing Umno as sworn political enemies.

But PAS grassroots members who turned up yesterday said they are ready to go to the ground to help BN’s campaign.

“There was no instruction. This is our own initiative to support Tok Mat. We have come together in a convoy since morning,” said PAS Negri Sembilan Alternative Riding Club (ARC) member Muhd Amar Osman, referring to Mohamad, a popular former menteri besar.

“We have also arranged programmes next week to visit all voting districts in Rantau.”

He said ARC members from Selangor and Malacca also planned to come and support Mohamad.

On March 6, Umno and PAS formalised their alliance on the basis of shared interests.

A technical committee made up of party vice-presidents was formed to work out details how the parties would cooperate in future by-elections.

PAS Tampin division president Ishak Maasin said the teamwork on nomination day was the culmination of a growing shared vision between the parties.

“We have seen some form of cooperation from the party leadership in the past, but it has never been like the cooperation we have today,” he said yesterday at the nomination centre in Rantau.

“The leadership has been waiting for the reaction of the grassroots (to the pact). To us in the grassroots, this unity is not disadvantageous to PAS,” he said.

The Malaysian Insight also saw PAS members from Kedah, Johor and Perak at Rantau yesterday.

PAS Bandar Tun Razak member Muhayidin Azaman said he attended because Umno and PAS need the support of all members.

“PAS and Umno cannot take Putrajaya if they go their separate ways,” he said.

“Make sure the fight is one-on-one and not three-cornered fights like GE14 (14th general election),” he said.

The Rantau by-election is a four-corned fight between PKR’s Dr S. Streram, Mohamad, who is also Umno acting president, and independent candidates R. Malar and Mohd Nor Yasin.

Polling is on April 13. – March 31, 2019.